Women’s Basketball: Four Pirates lauded

Orange Coast College sophomores Chanelle DiCroce, Raechelle Davis and Dayanara Armenta have been named first-team All-Orange Empire Conference in women’s basketball.

Sophomore Jasmine Matar represents OCC on the second team.

Davis, a 5-foot-11 sophomore forward, is averaging 11.3 points and a team-best 9.9 rebounds to help the Pirates finish second in conference. She has played in 29 games, starting 28, to help Coach Mike Thornton’s team advance to the second round of the Southern California Regional playoffs that continue Wednesday at top-seeded Ventura.

DiCroce, a 5-foot-9 forward, is averaging 11.7 points and nine rebounds per contest. She has started all 29 games thus far for the Pirates (19-10).

Armenta, a first-team all-conference performer as a freshman, is averaging 12.1 points as a 5-6 guard. The Pirates’ top defender, she started all 26 games in which she has played.

Matar, a 5-11 freshman forward, leads the team in steals (2.1 per game) and is averaging 11.8 points through OCC’s first-round upset at Cuesta on Friday night. She has started all 29 games thus far.

Deja Brooks of conference-champion Saddleback is the Player of the Year and Gauchos head man Fentriss Wynn is Coach of the Year.

— Barry Faulkner